There’s this famous saying that distance makes the heart grow fonder. While I agree with it, I would like to take the liberty to amend the saying a bit. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and persevere. My boyfriend, Mike, and I live exactly 842 miles apart from each other. Michigan to Connecticut is a long distance. I’m just going to be honest, some days the 842 miles apart thing absolutely sucks. I mean like I want to scream into a pillow and throw a remote against the wall kind of suck.

There’s also a saying you hear people tell all the time that goes something like love is complicated. I don’t really need to amend that one, it’s true all on its own. I believe in fate—I believe that since the beginning of time, it was mapped out that Mike and I would meet and end up together. That no matter what, nothing along the way can sever this fate-string connection that we have. Without getting all sappy and sentimental, Mike is the love of my life (honey if you are reading this hi, thanks for being here). The hardest part of our love in this season of life is that we are separated by a stretch of 842 miles.

Michael and I constantly have to remind ourselves that the distance isn’t forever. Soon enough we will be next to each other every day. It gives us hope, don’t get me wrong, but I still live with the fact that we aren’t there yet. It was really hard for me once I got back from my vacation out to CT. I saw him every day for five straight days. We did everything together. And then I had to get on a plane and go home. I was seeing the person I love the most every day and then suddenly, I wasn’t, and I didn’t know when I’d get to see him again. I remember calling him when I got home and saying something along the lines of, babe I’m already saving up for the next trip, okay?

My parents constantly remind me that long distance is a lot different than it used to be. They tell of when my mom was still in college in Indiana and my dad was back here in Michigan and they’d talk on the phone maybe once a week while they were dating. But here I am in 2018, where Mike and I can text during the day, we can call each other, we can facetime/skype, we can be in a party together while we play on our xboxs. We constantly have a way of being in communication with each other. So, although we may not be physically together, we can still “virtually” be together. Uck, I hate that word, I can’t explain why, but I really don’t like the word virtually. But I digress. It’s true that long distance relationships are a lot different than when my parents were doing it. Sometimes it boggles my mind how technology is shaping our lives and society so much and quite honestly so fast.

I may not be in Connecticut with Michael yet, but I’m extremely thankful I can still talk to him every day and see his face still. We definitely have those days where we are getting ready to fall asleep and are just like, dang it, I wish you were here, ughhhh. And I say the same thing every time, soon enough Mike, soon enough.